Why Holm Makes More Sense Than Tate

It seemed like we had the Woman’s Bantamweight title picture set. With Miesha Tate beating Jessica Eye and Ronda Rousey destroying Bethe Corriea it seemed it was all set for a third go round with Rousey and Tate. Than the UFC threw a curve ball when it was announced that instead Rousey's next challenger will be Holly Holm. Of course this has set off a flurry of reaction. And well in my honest opinion giving Holly Holm her first title shot makes more sense than giving Tate a second UFC title shot and a third fight with Rousey.

Lets start with the fact this would be a third fight with Rousey and Tate. Rousey won both fight making Tate submit to an armbar both times. In the first fight Tate admits she was angry and felt disrespected as a result she charged in got taken down and became just the latest victim of the arm bar to go less than a round. In the second fight Tate entered much calmer and became the only fighter to ever get past the first round with Rousey. The fight lasted until the third round until again she got caught in the armbar and tapped out. Since that fight to Tate's credit she's won five in a row. With other potential challengers falling short and Cyborg refusing to drop to 135 (no matter what she says she always changes a week later about it.) Tate has earned a title shot.

But Holly Holm is the more interesting title fight! Lets with the fact its a fresh fight. We have no idea what a Rousey vs. Holm fight will be like. Since UFC 168 Tate, team, and fans have regularly hyped up the fact she went more than one round with the champion. However it could be argued that Rousey was more dominate in the rematch than she was in the first fight. Tate's game plan for that fight might have been one of the worse I have eve seen. Time and again Tate clinched with Rousey and got tossed. In the two previous encounters Tate hasn't shown an ability to stop Rousey's judo. Rousey though has shown she can stuff Tate's wrestling style takedowns. It appears to me that Tate believes she is the better striker than Rousey or believes Rousey has enough holes in her stand up to take advantage of.

In the first fight I would Tate was the better striker. She had much more experience and when Rousey was hit she turned her head. A common reaction for inexperienced strikers who haven't been hit before. In the second fight Tate did have her moments in the stand up but Rousey had shown great improvement. She no longer turned away from being hit. Also since that second fight with Tate, Rousey has shown knockout power. She got Sara McMann with a knee, Alexis Davis with a takedown and than ground and pound, and than brawled with Corriea and made sure she would never forget when Straight Outta Compton came out.

Now let's look at the second fight. Since than well Rousey's has only gotten more dominate she finished three fight in less than a minute and two of of them in less than twenty seconds. Hell the fight with McMann was just over a minute. Tate again to her credit has won four in row including two very strong wins over Sara McMann and Jessica Eye. But Tate hasn't really show any new tricks or improvement. All of those wins went to decision. Tate remains a wrestler based fighter with good stand up. She always remains a fighter willing to take punishment. To me it's Similar to Jon Fitch. The former Purde wrestling captain got one shot at GSP during his UFC career. After the loss to GSP he did have a long winning streak that some felt should have given him a rematch. But Fitch style of winning always remained the same. Get a takedown and grind it out. GSP already showed he could stop Fitch from doing that. Fitch was never much of finisher so he never got another title shot. Its the same for Tate she's not shown any sign that a third fight would be different.

But what Holly Holm? What could she do that would make this a more interesting fight? For one Rousey has never faced such a great striker. Yes Rousey has faced power strikers before such as Kaufman or Corriea but Holm is a great technical striker. And well I would remiss if I didn't point out Holm's great boxing career with 33 career wins in the ring and 18 world titles. In recent fight Ronda has been much more willing to exchange on her feet. Why she's better there are holes in her defense. If Rousey tries to prove a point and exchanges we could see her take some real damage. I don't see Holm getting into the wild exchanges we have often seen Rousey have with Tate, McMann or Corriea. If Rousey comes out guns a blazing Holm has the technical skills to avoid hit her and take control.

Another key part of Holm's game is her kicking. After moving into kickboxing and MMA Holm found she has great power in her legs. Of six career MMA knockouts five come from Holm using kicks. Rousey has faced some strong strikers she's never really faced a strong kicker. Plus Holm isn't just using roundhouse kicks. In her fight with Marion Reneau we saw Holm make use of sidekicks, kicks and front kicks. Also in that fight with Reneau Holm showed great timing using her kicks. Just the kind of attack that could stop a charging Rousey or keep the champion from getting a clinch. And given Holm stand up ability this might be the first time in a while that Rousey might need to get the fight to the ground.

I'd also be remiss if I didn't bring up Hol'ms team. She fights out of Jackson Winklejohn. She's worked with renowned striking coach Mike Winklejohn since she was a teenager. And Greg Jackson along with Winklejohn have coached numerous fighters to world titles. Along with this comes elite training partners several of which are also getting ready for upcoming title shots. Holm's going to have potentially great training camp. And it will be interesting to see what such a high profile corner will do game plan wise against such a force as Rousey.

Long before Holm was even under UFC contract people wanted to see this fight. Hell I would say Rousey vs. Holm was brought up about as often as Rousey vs. Cyborg. As dominant as Rousey was even early in her career combined with her successful Judo career was similar to Holm. The great boxer who was tearing through competition on the local scene of MMA. While the demand has cooled off due to Holm rather sluggish performance against Raquel Pennington and again going to decision against Marion Reneau. Now against Pennington it's important to keep in mind that it was Holm's UFC debut and plenty of fighters look off in that UFC debut. While Pennington does not have the best record she is a very tough veteran fighter. She did dominate Reneau who was coming off several strong performances. And given a little more time I think Holm could have finished Reneau as she had hurt late in the third round.

Finally the thing factor that will make this an interesting fight is Rousey will motivated for this fight. While Rousey Tate still have an intense dislike for one another the fact remains Rousey has already beat her twice. Plenty of fighters talking how hard it is to get motivated for rematches epically when they won. With Holm its a fresh challenger that brings a skill set Rousey has never seen before. And I think a motivated Rousey will led to a more interesting fight.

UFC Fight Night Chicago Fallout

The UFC wrapped up a very busy July with it's return to Network TV. The Fox cards bring huge exposure for the company and the sport as a whole. The main event was a rematch more than a year in the making. Cards like this are a great chance to win over new fans. Make stars out of emerging and younger talent. So what it a good show? Who made there most of the big stage and who saw a key chance slip away?

In Ring Action- With the lion share of the fights being broadcast on the main Fox Network many fighters were in one of the largest audiences they had ever seen. The biggest highlight of the prelims was Tom Lawlor's KO of Gain Villante. To a point Lawlor has been more known his goofy outfits at weigh ins than his fights. This win in his return in after a long layoff was important to get him back in the UFC. The main card kicked off with Joe Lauzon easily beating Takanoria Gomi. Lauzon fought smart keeping his hands up not leaving himself open to a power shot from Gomi. While many expected Lauzon to go for a submission he instead finished the Japaneses Legend with ground and pound. While Lauzon has never gained a UFC title shot he has secured a place as a UFC lifer. He's always just good and exciting enough to keep around. He's stayed out of trouble outside of the cage.

Hurt early with his eye badly swelling it looked like Edison Barboza could be on his way to another loss. The Brazilian and Paul Felder put on an exciting fight that looked more like it belong in a karate point fighting tournament than a MMA show but still was exciting. Both men landed big shots and showed off with spinning techniques. In the end Barboza's speed in particular his quick and powerful switch kick proved to the difference. While Felder was frustrated at his first loss he surely earned another big fight based on his willingness to engage. Sometimes it's better to have an exciting loss over a boring win. Barboza no doubt will get another shot at ranked opponent. The semi main event saw Miesha Tate show some of the best striking of her career. Through out her career Tate's striking has usually be classified and wade forward and throw hard. Although she ate some hard shots early against Jessica Eye, Tate figured out the timing of Eye and hurt her.

Eye looked very good early on and seemed to be having her kind of fight. Still though she left herself open just enough to let Tate connect. After that one big shot Eye seemed to shut down. Than the main event. Everyone gave Dillishaw credit for what he did in the first fight but still question lingered. Did Barao take him to light? What if that one big punch in the first hadn't landed? Was that performance just once and a lifetime. Dillishaw answered all those questions. He again dominated Barao making use of his superior footwork and speed. He again seemed just better than Barao at everything. The former champion had his moments but never truly had control of the fight. Another key was Dillishaw's bringing in his wrestling. He forced Barao against the cage several times forcing him to burn energy. By the second round Barao was gassed. His punches and kicks came at half speed and it seemed like it was just a matter of time before Dillishaw finished him again.

Biggest Winners:

TJ Dillishaw- The closest comparisons to Dillishaw's win over Barao was Buster Douglas beating Mike Tyson. Douglas was a one hit wonder. Dillishaw seems to be showing the potential of a legendary career. Once again he showed amazing foot and speed. He's become one of the UFC's better strikers able to land hard punches and kicks with ease. Under coach Bang Ludwig Dillishaw has thrived. He also remains a great wrestler. While never getting a takedown against Barao his use of wrestling tired out the challenger. The threat of the takedown opened the door for more strikes. Barao and his Nove Uno teamed seemed almost dismissive of Dillishaw's ability. The insisted it was all thanks to that one lucky punch. Dillishaw though showed it was no fluke simply talent. The champions' best assist might just be his athleticism All three title fights have been late knockouts. He's still fresh why other fighters are running on E.

Miesha Tate- The former Takedown now Cupcake seems to be getting just what she wants a third shot at Ronda Rousey. While for a while Tate appeared to plaute as a fighter she's had two very impressive fights in a row. If Tate is going have any success against Rousey she is going to need to stay on the outside away from the clinch. She managed to keep Jessica Eye off her. While a loss would not have ended Tate title chances she's now back at number one contender. Still though the question is can she find the key to beating Rousey or will she revert back to bite down on the mouth piece style striking that failed her twice already.

Duane Bang Ludwig- Once again Bang showed his skills as a trainer. Although Danny Castio came out on the losing end to a close fight Last Call showed improved striking. The big key the main event where his prized student TJ Dillishaw again dominated a title fight. As Joe Rogan pointed out Bang himself didn't fight like the style he teaches but the style is effective. Once again Ludwig was shown giving good technical advice in big moments. Dillishaw was always a promising athlete but he the first to admit Ludwig is a big part of his success.

Biggest Losers

Renan Barao- It was a bad rerun for Barao. Once again he looked second class to Dillishaw. Once again he took several hard shots over a long fight before getting knocked out. Once again he wasn't able to do any real damage. Barao can't blame a bad weight cut as he weighed in easily. He can't blame one lucky punch that landed early. Unless Barao a huge fool he can't say took Dillishaw lightly. But once again he lost. To be fair to Barao it could be Dillishaw's is just a bad match up for him. Everyone has that guy. Others might try to duplicate Dishabille’s game plan but not everyone will do it as well as Dillishaw. Still though Barao is pretty much out of the title picture. Unlike Tate there a quite a few options open for Dillishaw's next few challengers. Barao though needs a change. He's lost two to Dillishaw and had an underwhelming win against Mitch Gagnon. Barao's really not that far removed from someone onto of every pound for pound list but in some ways its like he's a million miles away.

Nova Uno- It wasn't all that long ago that the team was on top of the lighter weight classes with two champion. Now Barao is 0-2 vs. Dillishaw and some believe Aldo backed out of a title fight out of fear. Leading up to the rematch head coach Andrew Pedrnearis declared Dillishaw had Barbie Hands well those Barbie Hands did damage. It didn't help that going into the fourth round the corner simply told Barao “Go win.” Not offering him any advice in how to win.

Jessamyn Duke- Once again Duke entered the cage only to lose. Duke had taken some extended time off and begun working with Josh Barnett. Matched up with Elizabeth Phillips a fighter she had beat as an amateur Duke took another loss. Duke is a tall fighter but doesn't fight like it. She's shows good potential but in this fight she made mistakes notable on a gulliteen choke that she didn't lock in enough and wound up on her back. Duke had a strong third round but by that point it was to late. Had she been able to steal an earlier round or finish the arm bar she went for a few times she could have won but she didn't. Duke has potential but there is added attention on her due to her friendship with Ronda Rousey. With three losses in a row Duke might find herself being cut.

What Comes Next: For TJ Dillishaw two fights make sense for him. One is Dominick Cruz. The stories that could be hyped for that fight are plentiful. Cruz never lost his title being force to surrender his title due to injury. Cruz has a long standing rivalry with Team Alpha Male, and of course the two fighters are very similar with both men using footwork and angles. The problem of course is Cruz cant' stay healthy he's had three ACL tears in his career. Cruz also won't be ready until 2016. While Dillishaw wants the Cruz fight the UFC might want him back in the cage sooner to keep building his name and to add to cards in the fall and winter. Raphael Assuncao the last fighter to beat Dillishaw is also an option the first fight was close and Dillishaw felt he should have won. But like Cruz, Assuncao hasn't been able stay healthy. But those are the two that make the most sense.

I know the UFC has already said Tate gets the winner Rousey and Corriea but I don't think a dead lock. First if Correia some how wins (Hey remember no one thought Dillishaw would win) or makes it a close fight the UFC could do a rematch. Also if Cyborg finally does the right thing and drops to bantamweight all bets are off. Also no matter how much Tate or her supporter try to spin or bring up that one good punch here or there or the fact Tate lasted longer the fact remains Rousey has dominated her. So for Tate I have two options in mind. A rematch with Cat Zingano. The two had a very exciting fight a while back. Cat wound up winning via TKO or a fight with Holly Holm. Holm a fighter many think could be the answer to Rousey. A win over either would be strong ones for Tate plus another camp would give her more time to work on getting ready for a fight with Rousey.

Renan Barao is in a real tough spot. Dana White has already suggested he should move up to Featherweight which would be a good idea given he's not likely to get another shot against Dillishaw and with the IV ban coming he might need the extra ten pounds. If he stays at Bantamweight the best option might be Assuncao. Again that depends on if Assuncao can stay healthy. If not Assucaco another option might be Aljamain Sterling who is coming off some strong win. He's also a top ten fighter Barao hasn't beat yet. A fight like this with him beating a potential contender could help to rebuild his confidence. Another fighter against a lower ranked fighter like Gaganon won't do that.

The good news is for Jessica Eye is with the current state of the Women's Bantamweight division a title shot isn't really that far off. Given Rousey has dominated so many fresh contenders are short. A great option for Eye would be former TUF winner Juliana Pena. Pena just returned from a long layoff. Many have stated Pena has potential to be a title challenger but she's yet to face a truly tough fight. Eye's striking and pressure would be a wonderful first true test for Pena.

UFC Fight Nights Fallout

Its been a very busy July for the UFC. UFC 189 and a show on the main Fox Network would be big enough but they also packed it with three Fight Night events. (Fight Morning in one case) So who were the biggest winners? Who took a very bad loss? And what comes next?

Biggest Winners- Holly Holm- Although The Preachers Daughter won her UFC debut many felt it was underwhelming. Of course its not uncommon for a fighter to enter the UFC with a lot of hype and struggle with “UFC Jitters.” Hell Carlos Condit lost his UFC debut. But still Holm needed an impressive win. The former boxing champion dominated Marion Reneau for three rounds. Holm showed off not only her boxing skills but her kicking game as well. Why she didn't get the finish she came close quite a few times. With two wins under he belt Holm has set herself up to challenge someone in the upper rankings and maybe get on the road to a title shot. Before entering the UFC some felt Holm's stand up might be the answer to champion Rousey's judo she's a step closer now.

Stephan Thompson- Rocked early by Jake Ellenberger Thompson recovered and came back to score a highlight reel finish with a spinning hook kick. Thompson also manged to stuff the wrestling of Ellenberger showing he's grown since the loss to Matt Brown. Having shined in his first main event on a big weekend Thompson seems to be on the verge of a break through. Chris Wediman has heavily hyped him, his lone loss was years ago against a tough veteran fighter. While Thompson may not have the big personally of a Connor McGregor he does have the unique fighting style that fans will remember. It's also the kind of fighting style other fighter will struggle to figure out.

Frank Mir- As Dana White said this week Mir is the last man standing of fighters that were in the UFC when the Zuffa bought it. While Mir is still not that far removed from a long losing streak he' snot won two in a row via knockout. Mir's career has so many ups and down you could never make it a movie since no one would believe it. The former world champion may not have another title run in him he could be the guy that derails a few others title shot dreams.

Joanne Calderwood- After being upset by un-ranked Maryna Moroz when she submitted ninety seconds in Calderwood needed a win. When original opponent Bec Rawlings pulled due injury she again found herself matched up with an unknown un-ranked opponent this time in the form of Courtney Casey. Calderwood looked venerable early but recovered quickly and dominated the second and third rounds on her way to a decision win. It was a good reminder of how good Calderwood can be. As she said post fight she over came the demons of her last fight. Another loss to a fighter she should beat would have been devastating to Calderwood standing this win gets her back on track.

Michael Bisping- Like Frank Mir, Bisping seemed like he was heading for the end of his career now for the first time since 2011 he's on a winning streak. To Bisping's credit his losses weren't simply him there were things like Belfort being pumped up on TRT, the long layoff due to his eye injury before the loss to Tim Kennedy, and the fact Luke Rockhold is a beast who dominated elite fighters like Machida and Jacare. While it was no doubt a tougher fight than he wanted Bisping manged to beat a fighter with a lot of momentum. He also kept his record perfect in the UK.

Biggest Losers Jake Ellenberger- This is tough for me to write as I admit I'm biased and a fan of Ellenberger. But there is no denying the loss to Thompson is a bad one for Ellenberger. His lone recent wins comes over Josh Koscheck not exactly a high quality win at this point. On the one hand Ellenberger's losses are to men like Lawler and MacDonald who just fought for the title and to Gastulum and Thompson up and comers with great potential. But it wasn't all that long ago Ellenberger was trying to break into title contention. While his fighting style should keep him safe from the cut list there is no denying The Omaha Nebraska native is going down a peg. Instead of main events or main card fights odds are he will find himself on Prelims or opening main cards on free TV.

Edmond Taverdyan- Thanks to the success of Ronda Rousey, Tarverdyan became a trainer in demand for many fighters. Besides Rousey out the Glendale Fight Club comes fighters such as Ellenberger, Travis Brown, and the rest of the Four Horsewomen. The problem is outside of Rousey none of those fighters have had much success. Ellenberger has suffered tough losses and been finished three times. Browne went from being a title contender under Greg Jackson to a lower top ten guy. Marina Shafer has sufferd two knockouts, Jessamy Duke is 1-2 in the UFC with two consecutive losses and Shayna Basler went 0-2 and has already been cut by the UFC. Rousey give Tarverdyan a lot of credit for her success. But it seems to be a case of a naturally great fighter who's strength matches perfectly with the style Tarverdyan likes to train. He might be the perfect trainer for one Rousey but he's yet to show success with other fighters.

Bec Rawlings- The straw weight fighter was forced to pull out her fight with Calderwood due to injury. That's hard enough for any fighter. Even worse for Rawlings she had to watch Calderwood look venerable early on. She no doubt has to wonder what if she had been in there? A win over Calderwood would have been big for Rawlings now she can only wait to heal up.

Scott Jorgensen- The Young Gun entered the UFC with a stellar 12-4 record since than he's 3-11. With yet another loss this time to veteran Manny Gamburyan it's getting very hard to justify Jorgensen's place on the UFC roster. While a number of his losses are to upper level fighters like Barao or Faber he also doesn't have a big win under the banner. He already tried to move down to fly and it didn't work. A move to featherweight would make him a smaller fighter in a tough division.

What comes Next- Time play to match maker for some of the fighters that were on this card. Frank Mir in a tough sport having been with the UFC so long he's face a large number of guys already on the UFC's roster. And in some cases a rematch doesn't make much sense. The loss to Overreem was so one sided you can't see a sudden turn over with Mir coming back. Someone like Andre Arlovski or Stipe Miochio seem to be in line for a title shot and honestly facing each other or higher ranked JDS or Cain Velasquez makes more sense for them. For Mir one name stick out. Stefan Struve who like Mir's had some amazing wins and bad loses. Both have shown an ability to get submissions with good striking. Like Mir Struve finds himself as a ranked fighter but not in title contention. If Struve can beat Big Nog at UFC 190 the fight makes even more sense. Holly Holm needs a stiffer test she's now 2-0 in the UFC and a perfect 9-0 in her career. A perfect fight for her would be former title challenger Alexis Davis. A strong MMA vet with good striking in her own right Davis has already faced and beaten a number of high level fighters in her career including Sarah Kaufman and Jessica Eye. For Holm it would be the biggest win of her career for Davis being the one to take the 0 could help move her back into title contention. Joanne Calderwood is now 2-1 in the UFC but she's yet to face another highly ranked foe. That's why Bec Rawlings made sense for her. While Rawling doesn't have the greatest record she's los to some good fighters. I say if Rawlings can heal up try to make the fight again.

I think a perfect fight for Jake Ellenberger would be Brandon Thatch. A win over Thatch would be a good confidence builder for Ellenberger who beats a fighter with potential but isn't as deeply talented as guys like Gastulum or Thompson. For Thatch Ellenberger is a tough vet with big win but but a beatable fighter. He doesn't appear to have the same ground game as Henderson or Nelson who did beat Thatch.

Why Signing Fedor Emelianenko Is A Bad Idea

Fedor Emelianenko one of the few fighters with a legit claim as great of all time announced he is interested in returning to MMA. Of course this has already set of tons of speculation of where he could fight. Could he finally join the UFC? What about Bellator which is run by Scott Cocker who he's worked with in the past? WSOF could potentially put itself on the map if they could sign him. Well I'm here to say that if a promotion wound up signing Emelinenko they will wind up regretting it.

Lets start with facts Fedor is thirty eight years old. For every fighter like Randy Couture that defied the odds into middle age there is someone like BJ Penn. Try as he might by moving up and down in weight, taking time off, changing his camp Penn hit a wall had three horrible final fights. While time off might have helped Fedor heal up old injures it could also mean he's very rusty since he hasn't been training. When George Foreman launched his comeback to boxing after over a decade off it took him several fights to begin looking like an elite heavyweight again. Would Fedor be able to last long enough to knock off any rust? And that's if he's able to even get close to fighting elite competition.

Part of the reason Anderson Silva had surpassed Fedor on many pound for pound lists was due to level of competition Fedor had begun to face. His last win on a major US card was over Brett Rogers. While Rogers was viewed as an up and comer at the time. After the loss to Fedor though Rogers never developed into an elite fighter. He was cut from Strikeforce after ___ losses in a row. The night fight for Strikeforce is where it appeared Fedor was heading for the end. He was submitted by Fabrico Werdum. After that loss he was badly beaten up by Bigfoot Silva and in his final Strikeforce fight he was knocked out by Dan Henderson. So you have a fighter whose beast days were in a company that is long dead in Pride. The last time fans in the US saw him it was losing three in a row. There are a large number of MMA fans that never saw Pride outside of Best of Pride the TV show and UFC Fightpass.

Fedor did win the final three fight of his career to date. However those were not against elite fighters. One was against Jeff Moonson an aged fighter who has not been an elite fighter in years if he ever was one. Another was against Pedro Rizzo a star from the UFC dark days but again hadn't scored a big win in a long time. Also none of the three fighters he beat have even gotten close to an upper level promotion since their fight with Fedor. How many new fans are going to be willing to watch WSOF or Bellator if they sign him and have him main event a show? And remember a big reason to invest the big money it will take with Fedor will be to hopefully win over new fans. How much will an aged fighter long removed his last quality win really draw?

Another question who would he really fight? The lion share of elite fighters in general are under UFC contracts. Bellator does have some good heavyweights in terms of attack pure curiosity the best option might just be Kimbo Slice. Of course I wouldn't hold my breath on either fighter agreeing to that or various reasons. I can't recall any heavyweight WSOF has with out looking it up first I admit. Now on flip side to that of course any young fighter that would beat Fedor would have a big win to build his career on.

Now lets to the real reason why I think any company signing Fedor would be a bad idea. Financial he wouldn’t be worth it. Fedor and his M-1 Global company have had numerous negotiations with UFC parent company Zuffa. Many has criticized Dana White for not being willing to make a deal. White claims it on Fedor and his people as they are unwilling to consed on several demands. A big one if co promotion. M-1 Global also puts on MMA events. The UFC simply wants to pay Fedor as a fighter. By Co-promoting an event that would mean he would paid extra money. A great deal extra including cuts of the tickets sales and pay per view buys. I understand why Fedor would ask for this stuff as it's his body on the line and numerous boxers have similar deals.

That said I also don't blame the UFC for refusing him. The UFC doesn't need Fedor Emilenko. Having him and doing a big fight with Lesnar or Couture could have done huge business. The UFC was making huge money and they still do very well. Affliction a company that spent huge money and singed Fedor giving into his demands because they wanted him and believed they needed him it was dead after two shows. Now to be fair Affliction was spending so much odds are it may not have lasted but the large money owed to Fedor as both a fighter and as a promoter didn't help things. Than there is Strikeforce. Scott Cocker did run a good show and the promotion lasted for several years. Like Affliction they signed Fedor when a UFC deal didn't happen.

And people that worked for Strikeforce admit why Fedor did help draw good attendance and ratings the money he was owed due his deal meant those shows didn't make huge money for Strikeforce. Many people look at Viacom and assume “They have billions they can pay anything.” Except that's not how business works. Companies are not just looking to make profit they are looking to make maxim profit. If Bellator does sign with Fedor and say he draws two millions dollars worth of business. But if they have to spend 1.5 million it may not make sense for Viacom's suites. And than look at the end of Strikeforce. It's backers pulled out partly due to the fact they saw how much money was being spent on fighters with out big returns. And what happened the UFC swopped in and bought out Strikeforce.

The one company that would be able to last if they signed Fedor would be the UFC. Fedor wouldn't be seen as a make it or break it deal for the company. The UFC like the WWE is for wrestling or the NFL is for pro football is the seen by many as the only whole industry. People use the term Ultimate Fighting when talking about the sport. For Bellator who has done a lot to close the gap on the UFC the last few years but who have they done that? To large part it been reaching out and signing former UFC fighters to contracts. Many of those fighters are names like Tito Ortiz, Rampage Jackson, or most recently Josh Koscheck. All fighters that entered on losing streaks. All fighters the UFC seemed to not be overly interested in. And in Jackson's case he fled back to the UFC. Bellator has already tied up a lot of money in older fighters how much would Fedor really add? Also I'll be interested o see what happens when notable Bellator fighters such as Pat Curran or Pitreco Pitbull are free agents will they depart like Eddie Alvarez did?

There is no denying the legend Fedor has become over the years. But Strikeforce showed simply having Fedor doesn't mean you will last forever. And what if he start to win? Does it really say Fedor's back Fedor's still the best? No it doesn’t' because no matter how much people may like to deny it the best talent is in the UFC. Fedor winning would simply send the message that Bellator has such a thin Heavyweight roster even a fighter well past his prime can come in and win. Fedor is a legend but he's not worth money and he doesn't bring the creditability either at this point.

UFC 189 Fallout

UFC 189 was a clearly a special event going in. With so much hype around it it amazing we got such an awesome card. As often heavily hyped cards don't deliverer. The main card was so amazing some are calling it the greatest event in MMA history. The event not only delivered in the cage with five exciting back and forth fights that all featured finishes. It also was a smash hit in terms of attendance and by all indication will rack in a large buy rate on pay per view. The event also saw changes in the UFC graphic package, the debut of the rebook deal, and special entrances for the main event.

The In Ring Action- On paper the card looked good going in. Besides two title matches it featured two younger fighter vs vets and a fight with two up and comers at Welterweight. As I said earlier every fight was pretty back and forth. Brad Pickett tested Thomas Almedia landing several hard punches. Before the younger fighter rallied back to land a highlight reel flying knee. Both Gunnar Nelson and Brandon Thatch were looking to rebound after recent losses. Nelson landed a beautiful combination sending Thatch to the ground before getting a rear naked choke submission. Nelson most and likely gained another shot at a top ten fighter. Jeremy Stephans and Dennis Bermudez went all out both men getting hurt time and again before Stephans ended it with his own flying knee.

Than came the two title fights. Lawler vs. MacDonald got off to a slow start but quickly turned epic. The fight seemed to be going Lawler's way with him landing good hard shots. Than in the third round Lawler landed a head kick that clearly hurt the champion. Both men were bleeding heavily with MacDonald's noise smashed. After the fourth round both men refused to back down and engaged in an epic stare down. In the final round Lawler took control again with several hard blows and after connecting dead on with the noise once again it was to much for MacDonald. Often I think MacDonald gets a bad as not being a fighter and being more of athlete well this fight should answer any question about how tough he is.

Finally the main event the show the whole card was built around Connor McGregor. I don't think McGregor is getting enough credit for his game plan. He worked over Mendes with hard body shots. I also think his trash talk and mocking got to Mendes as several times early it seemed like Mendes wanted to fight him standing vs. going for takedowns. Mendes did land several takedown but McGregor survived even landing good shots from the bottom. He also survived several hard punches from Mendes who his one of the more powerful small men in the UFC. On top of that he escaped the vaunted Alpha Male Guillotine Choke. Even if the fight had gone on Mendes looked so tired odds are McGregor would have still got the win.

Production- This event saw the UFC upgrade its production. The UFC intro was changed getting away from the historical footage playing as the arena builds. I will miss the old intro but I get why they did its like any other company you make changes to stand out. They also reworked Face the Pain the song used on so many UFC events. I know will wish they dumped it complete but I don't mind it that much. Also changed was the graphic used for the round timer and graphic for tale of the tape and fight intro. Again not big changes but it's freshens up the look of the promotion. Other sports due this all the time that why the score box on an NFL game is different than it was just a few years ago. They also embraced a recent trend from basketball and hocking by turning the octagon into a video screen.

The one thing I disliked was live singing for the main event walk ins. Part of it due to the fact Sinad O'Connor sounded so bad. I get what they were doing trying to make the event seem special and it could be good idea for another big superfight but I really hope at UFC 190 they are back to just having the main eventers walk out to CD's.

Rebook- This was the first UFC event under the new Rebook deal. Plenty has been written about the rebook deal some good some bad. I actually like the look of the gear but it could better. The only options are white with black trim or black with white trim. Unless your a champion that you get black and gold. Why not mix it up with more colors. Like someone like Red King Rory MacDonald wear red or have blue for Chris Wediman who often wore blue trunks. That said this is the first gear I'm sure changes will be coming Also why give fighters the option of having there nick name over there last name on the gear.

Biggest Winners- Connor McGregor without a question. The big knocks on McGregor were he's never fought a great wrestler, he's never beat top contender, he's never been tested. The Mendes fight addressed all that. The already highly anticipated fight between McGregor and Aldo only will cranked up to a new level now. McGregor also kept his finish rate high as the only time he went the distance in victory was against Max Holloway in a fight McGregor was injured in. He also backed up his claims about how good he is for business. The Irish fans flocked to Vegas for the event showing they will travel beyond Ireland or Boston. The kind of outside attention McGregor brought in is big for the UFC and he clearly backed up all the talk with the huge win.

Robbie Lawler's first title defense was lost in the shuffle of McGregor hype train. Needing some down to recover after after busy 2013 and 2014, Lawler was absent from the UFC until this event. Lawler has some of the most exciting fights in recent memory. As Lawler's friend and long time training partner Matt Hughes has said your not really a champion until you defend it well now Lawler can say he's a true champion. While Lawler isn't a talker there is also no doubt any new fans were won over by the exciting style of the Ruthless Robbie. He also counties to evolve as a fighter showing more patience early on.

This whole weekend as a whole can been as a win for the UFC. The last few years have been hard canceled events, declining stars, scandals and failed drug tests with others. This event was a huge money maker party of a great international fight week. Also it keeps a recent trend of strong PPV's going. It was in many ways the anti May Pac fight. Fans tuning for the first time because of the hype got every reason to keep watching. Young fighters got great exposure for being on this card.

Biggest Losers- Chad Mendes was winning the interim title fight but at the end of the day he lost via knockout. Mendes is now 0-3 in UFC title fights. Why some will argue he could more on short notice Dana White already pointed out that flip side would McGregor would have full camp to get ready for Mendes. Money remains on of the UFC's featherweights but getting fights might be hard. In order to get another title shot he will no doubt have to beat several top contenders. But how many top contenders will be willing to risk facing someone as tough as Mendes? Some fighters often caught in this situation will change weights. Mendes is to small to move to Lightweight and maybe to big to move to Bantamweight. Even if does move down his friend and teammate TJ Dilishaw holds the title.

Brad Pickett is 0-3 in his last three fight and has lost four of his last five. At thirty six and with thirty five career fight he's unlikely to undergo some type of career revival like some fighters have. With roster space always at premium in the UFC any losing streak can see you get cut and Pickett might just find his way out of the UFC.

Rory MacDonald showed how tough he is and had one of the great fights in UFC history but the young man is still in a tough place. Two losses to champion Robby Lawler are going to make it tough for him to get another shot if Lawler keeps the title for long. At only twenty five MacDonald does have time to rebuild of course. The real issue might be what kind of long term damage was done in his fight vs. Lawler. His noise and face will no doubt take a long time to heal and get cleared on top the broken foot. Mentally it might also be tough for him to get over it. When Josh Koscheck was battered by GSP in a similar fashion the rest of his UFC career saw him often checking his face after taking a punch. Also while MacDonald only has three losses all three come when he's been clipped by a hard shot.

What Comes Next?- Well UFC 190 of course which features Ronda Rousey and several bigger stars on the UFC roster. While not at the same level of of 189 in terms of hype it does have potential to be a good card. In terms of fights for the winners the fight that makes the most sense for McGregor is Jose Aldo. The demand is there given the rivalry and now the added elements of the interim title and the question of if Aldo pulled out due to fear. If Aldo doesn't heal up and McGregor doesn't want to wait Frankie Edgar would be perfect for an interim title fight. Of course the UFC may not want to risk a big money fight. Johnny Hendricks has made it clear he wants a rubber match with Lawler. While Welterweight has good contenders such as the recently returned Carlos Condit odds are Hendricks will get his wish.

Chad Mendes if he has any chance of getting another title needs big wins. Again Frankie Edgar would make sense. For Mendes its a chance to beat a top five guy. A win over Mendes would all but lock up a shot for Frankie against the Aldo v McGregor winner down the road. Another option for Mendes would be Max Holloway. The young Holloway hasn't lost since he's own fight with McGregor. He's coming off a strong win over Cub Swanson. For Mendes again it's he needs big wins and for Holloway a win over Mendes would be the biggest of his career and a tough test for the young fighter. For MacDonald I feel he won't fight again until 2016 or at the very earliest real late this year. In that case it's more of a lets see what the Division looks like.